Jar of Mirrors
by kusudama.ball
Summary: A collection of AU HitsuHina oneshots. Five: His kendo match is about to start, so where's Momo? Toshiro is worried, and if those guys don't stop snickering he's going to bash their heads in.
1. Hero Complex

Disclaimer: Bleach is the property of Tite Kubo.

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Really, out of all the annoying habits she could've developed, Hinamori had picked the worst.

The beautiful midday sun shone brightly over the Soul Society, elite superhero community of the Rukongai districts, and Hitsugaya cursed it inwardly. It was already noon and he hadn't caught a glimpse of Hinamori. While that by itself wasn't a particularly unusual phenomenon, today was training day, and she had been scheduled to met him at the practice grounds that morning. Except she hadn't showed, and Hitsugaya had spent an hour training alone under the hot sun, waiting for her to show up, looking exactly like a fool that had gotten stood-up. His cloak (a white, silky thing given to the top members of the Soul Society) was sticky and clung oppressively to his uniform, and the whole thing was probably drenched in his sweat.

Goddammit. Hinamori was probably spending too much time with his blonde partner, Kitten, and they were probably trading tips on how to slack off. Dehydrated, irritated, and possibly hurt, Hitsugaya trudged angrily into the Soul Society Headquarters.

Or, at least, they called it that, but in actuality the Soul Society Headquarters was nothing more than a glorified business building. The front doors lead to a spacious waiting room filled with tacky green sofas some of the girls had placed around the front of the room in an attempt to make the place more homey; behind that, the receptionist deck and paperwork cabinets were manned by White Hound and Sleeve (known respectively in other circles as The Butler and The Librarian). Even further back were the division cubicles, small offices spaces sectioned out to each pair of heroes, and in the very back was the Captain Commander's office.

Hitsugaya glanced around warily for a hint of Hinamori. His eyes first landed on Wolfman, his partner Terminator, and the silver-haired Gemini chatting quietly on the sofas; next, he spotted the medic Quicksilver and her partner, The Doctor, working on paperwork in their cubicle. Byakuya (aptly yet unwilling nicknamed Hair Clip Guy) and the rather oddly named sakelover888 seemed to be having an argument in the latter's cubicle. The rest of the spaces were empty and devoid of any Hinamori; Hitsugaya snagged The Reaper as he walked by and set a glare in his direction. "Where is everybody?"

The Reaper (named for his uniquely shaped twin sickle blades) shrugged his shoulders. "Well, today's Black Hornet and Cannonball's patrol day, so they're probably out doing that. Mayuri and Nemu are off researching at one of Aizen's old labs, and I think Kenpachi took the, uh, Pink Puff Blood Smasher out for some training."

Hisagi made a funny strangling noise, like he wanted to laugh and gag at the same time. Hitsugaya resisted the urge to roll his eyes; it had been three weeks, _three weeks,_ since he had protested against allowing Kenpachi to bring in that pink menace, and now suddenly everybody had decided to agree with him. He stifled a snort.

"Where's Kitten?" Hitsugaya said shortly, and The Reaper gave a sheepish smile. "Did she go off to that bar again?" The Reaper forced out an awkward laugh. Of course, Hitsugaya thought, he has something to do with this. "Did she take her drinking buddies with her?"

The other hero released a sigh. "Sorry, White Dragon, but I might have accidentally let it slip the bar was having a two-for-one sale, so she dragged Yellow Cockroach and Red Pineapple with her." (That was a sad story if there ever was one; a couple years back, both Renji and Kira had been so caught up in some obscure dare by Matsumoto it had resulted in the aforementioned embarrassing codenames)

This time Hitsugaya didn't fight the overwhelming urge to snort disparagingly. "Che. That just means more paperwork when she gets back." There were mountains of the stuff piling up on his desk. Kitten was in for a surprise. "And have you seen Fireflower anywhere?"

The Reaper looked vaguely surprised. "I thought she was with you? She left earlier this morning for the training grounds…" He trailed off uncomfortably when the air around them dropped suddenly. Hitsugaya took one steadying breathe and the temperature spiked up to a normal level; but it was enough for the other hero to start backing away slowly.

"Thanks," Hitsugaya muttered, and then the White Dragon was out the door in a flash.

Well, that was completely wonderful. Stupid Hinamori, getting herself into trouble like that. She was probably using one of her back alley 'shortcuts' again; how many times had he told her those were unsafe, even for her? Apparently not enough, and now look where that got her. He was going to have to run off and save her from her own clumsiness _again_. For a second Hitsugaya entertained the thought of leaving her to clean up whatever mess she had gotten herself into.

But both of them knew he would never do that, and it was with a sigh that Hitsugaya finally located the tell-tale heat spot that signified Hinamori had released a fireball. With one strong push against the roof of the building, Hitsugaya dropped down into a narrow alleyway, right beside Hinamori.

"White Dragon," Hinamori exclaimed, and the red glow in her hand faded. There were up to seven men (big, hulking guys that made up for their lack of brainpower with muscles) surrounding her, wielding wooden bats or metal pipes. Hitsugaya made a contemptuous noise in the back of his throat. "That's it? You got held up for an hour by seven guys? I thought you'd run into Aizen or something!"

Hinamori had the decency to blush. She opened her mouth to retort at him, or yell something, when whatever she was going to say was cut short and her eyes suddenly widened. She pointed behind him with a cry of, "Watch out!", just in time to see Hitsugaya catch the pipe coming down on his head with one hand and flip his attacker over his shoulder.

"Well? I'm waiting to here your excuse." Hitsugaya said coolly, as the man feebly stirred at his feet.

That turned Hinamori's blush twice as vivid red as before. She stuttered something incomprehensible, gaping at him with her hands making several fast-paced hand gestures, and stopped just long enough to toss a fireball at her opponents. "A-ah, just cut it out, Whitey! Is this really the time to be talking about this?"

Her fireball took out two men and the alley filled with smoke. Hitsugaya punched another two from behind while they were distracted by the eye-watering fog (practice enough with Hinamori and you get used to that sort of thing), then caught another in the stomach with a kick when he stumbled towards him. The last one was trickier than others; during the time Hitsugaya had focused on the others, he had snuck up on the white-haired hero and swung a wooden bat at his head. Hitsugaya dodged it, but just barely, and his opponent was out with a well-aimed punch.

By the time the smoke cleared, all seven men were on the ground unconscious, and Hinamori had run out of time to verbalize her excuse.

"I see nothing stopping us," Hitsugaya smirked, and Hinamori had only a second to fume at him before he dragged her out of the alley and into the bright sunlight. "Now tell me what happened, Hinamori." _I was beginning to worry about you._

Hinamori grinned sheepishly. "Well, I know it sounds kind of silly, but…" She trailed off, and fiddled nervously with the ties of her hair cloth. "I just wanted to see if you were going to rescue me."

A beat. Then Hitsugaya's smirk grew wider than even Hinamori had ever seen before, and he fondly ruffled her hair with his hand. The hand dropped, slowly, down to her waist and Hitsugaya pulled her close, so very close, and dipped his mouth down to drawl in her ear:

"Well of course, stupid Momo. I'm always going to rescue you."

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A/N: In essence, this author figured she had too many fluffy little AU one-shot ideas floating around in her head, and didn't want to clutter her profile, so this is hopefully a five-section series of AU's with no connection to the Bleach canon. Or, she just had too much fun writing this and imagining Hitsugaya in tights (or _Byakuya_ in tights).


	2. Flavored with Love

Disclaimer: Bleach is the property of Tite Kubo.

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The parking lot of the Seireitei Creamery was empty save for a lone car in the far corner, but Hinamori was used to it. Junrinan, a little college-town tucked away in a far-off corner of the Rukongai, was a quiet place at night, and it was nearly two in the morning. By now darkness had swallowed up all the streets save for the occasional lamp, and the town was mostly asleep.

Hinamori sighed. Her parents had never approved of this habit of hers, but she couldn't help it. Ever since she had gotten her own car, she always had the insatiable urge to go out and drive in the middle of the night. Nobody else was ever out, and it gave her both time and space: something she hardly ever got in the daytime. At first she simply cruised around her neighborhood; that had eventually evolved into visiting convenience stores and twenty-four hour pharmacies. Once she had moved out into Junrinan for college, it had developed into where it was now: visiting her favorite place in the world, the local ice cream shop.

"Hello, Hitsugaya-kun!" Hinamori beamed, and swung the glass door open with a tinkle of the overhanging bells. She loved the Seireitei Creamery: not only did they have all the best flavors and add-ins (her personal favorite was peach ice cream with chocolate chips), they were open all day long, just like she liked it.

"Hey, Hinamori." Hitsugaya said, and her smile widened. Okay, maybe it was because her best friend from all the way back from her childhood, Hitsugaya, worked the graveyard shift, too. "Do you want the usual?"

She nodded eagerly, and it was with a sigh that Hitsugaya leaned down to scoop out a bit of light pink ice cream. Hinamori had come through enough times that Hitsugaya could list off her usual, the vanilla with gummy bears she got when she was sad, and the mango sorbet that she preferred when she was particularly angry. He plopped it down on the frozen mixing board with two spoonfuls of chocolate chips (by regulations it was supposed to be only one, but Hinamori liked her chocolate and no one was ever around to see him). "What's the occasion tonight?"

"No reason," Hinamori hummed merrily, and watched as deft fingers swirled the ice cream and chocolate together until it was mixed evenly. A second later and Hitsugaya scooped it up into a small bowl, along with a little plastic spoon. "Unless you count that A my physics teacher gave me on our paper."

Hitsugaya snorted. Even though he was younger than Hinamori by two years, his teachers had bumped him up until they were eventually in the same grade. Hinamori had never found his genius fair, especially when she pulled all-nighters studying and he had forgone the process entirely. "That was an easy paper. I could've done it in my sleep."

"That's not a nice thing to say, Shiro-chan, most of us aren't geniuses like you," she mumbled, pouting slightly. Hitsugaya made a face at the unwanted nickname. "And give me my ice cream!"

Hitsugaya smirked. If that's how she wanted to play, then fine. It was one of those rare situations he actually had some leverage over her, and he knew her wide-eyed pout (the one that usually won him over) didn't work when her as tired as she should've been at two in the morning. "Sorry, Hinamori, but you have to pay for that." His eyes shone devilishly. "And why should I give ice cream to impolite bedwetters who don't address people properly?"

Hinamori made a muted whining noise in the back of her throat. "Fine. May I have my ice cream now, Hitsugaya-kun?" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a couple of crumpled bills that she waved in his face. He waved them away airily. "No need. It's on the house." _That _caused her to shove aside the bills and gape wide-mouthed at him. She started sputtering, "Wait, Hitsugaya-kun, you can actually do that?"

Hitsugaya shrugged. "We'll just have to find out, won't we?"

Hinamori groaned, but Hitsugaya couldn't help but notice she grabbed her ice cream anyway. "Well, I'll pay you back tomorrow if that doesn't work out for you," she said, and sunk into a booth beside the counter. The red leather was comfortable and she promptly let go of her irritation to enjoy a bite of her peach ice-cream. "Mmm, Hitsugaya-kun, your ice cream skills get better every time."

Hitsugaya scoffed and rounded the counter to sit next to her (another breach of protocol, but he didn't really care). "You're delusional. It's always the same ice cream and chocolate, so how can it possibly taste different?"

She laughed, a sleepy giggle with her plastic spoon stuck in her mouth. "I don't know, but you must be a genius with ice cream too." It was one of the few times she had the word with any positive concoctions. "Maybe it's flavored with love?"

A scowl revealed how scornful he was of the idea. Hitsugaya propped his arm up on the booth behind her back and turned his head away from her. "I don't believe in flavoring foods with love," he muttered, and it made her giggle again. Hitsugaya was cute like that. "Besides, if anything, shouldn't you get bored of that flavor? You always get it." He raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

Hinamori made a noncommittal noise and stuck another spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. "Because it's always good. I can't help it if you don't understand the intricacies of peach ice cream."

Hitsugaya grunted his disagreement. He was used to Hinamori and her crazy ideas, though, so when he opened his mouth he only intended to say something mildly snarky. Unfortunately for him, Hinamori seized the opportunity and stuffed her spoon overflowing with peach and chocolate chip ice cream in his mouth, and Hitsugaya swallowed it grudgingly. Once it was gone, he yanked the spoon out. "Ew, Hinamori, that was disgusting. You were drooling all over that thing."

Hinamori grinned. "But the ice cream was pretty good though, right?"

He couldn't disagree. Even if he made it for Hinamori all the time, Hitsugaya had never tasted it, and the peachy flavor off-set the somewhat bittersweet chocolate rather nicely. "It's okay," Hitsugaya noted begrudgingly, and Hinamori took another scoop of her ice cream happily. "Good, because I'm too tired to argue with you about that."

"And that's why I keep telling you not to come so late at night," Hitsugaya reprimanded, and Hinamori rolled her eyes playfully. Both of them knew Hitsugaya had brought up the subject more than his fair share of times in the past few months, but she still never listened to him.

"But that's why I have you, right?" Hinamori smiled at him and cuddled into his shoulder gratefully, as his arm was still propped up behind her back. Her hair tickled gently at his neck and she yawned, stretching against him. The ice cream had been making her awfully sleepy. "I'm just going to take a little nap here, 'kay, Shiro-chan?"

"I'll wake you up when my shift is over," Hitsugaya promised, and for once didn't complain about the misuse of his name. It wouldn't have mattered since she had fallen asleep on his shoulder, though, and Hitsugaya shifted her somewhat so she was more comfortable and he had full use of both of his hands. He raked one through her hair and she buried closer to him, turning towards his touch. Hitsugaya feverently hoped his hand hadn't woken her up. "When you wake up, you'll owe me one for this, bedwetter Momo." Hitsugaya gave her still form a rare smile. "And I'll think I'll ask you to stop pretending you come here for the ice cream and not just to keep me company."

That said, Hitsugaya grabbed the remnants of her peach and chocolate chip ice cream and took a mouthful of it, using the drool-covered spoon and all. Hinamori was right, as usual, but it wasn't like he was ever going to say that to her face.

Her ice cream really _was_ always good.

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A/N: Hitsugaya just seems like the kind of person to work a graveyard shift, y'know?


	3. Dance Floor Kingdom

Disclaimer: Bleach is the property of Tite Kubo.

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Trumpets blared loudly though the land and people raised their voice in cheer, for it was a none but the most momentous occasion: the princess had announced her wedding! Couriers fluttered out and about, delivering invitations and fetching goods; King Yamamoto, aged in years and revered by his people, had decided this was to be the most lavish of weddings. Fine clothes were to be delivered to the palace and all the staircases were hung in ribbons, but by far the most beautifully adorned room was the ballroom, the site of the reception.

In short, the whole land was alight with activity and Hinamori was enjoying every minute of it.

"Lady Hinamori, we will be arriving at the palace soon," one of her maids said, and Hinamori smiled. She would have laughed had the strings of her corset not been pulled as tight as they were, but such was the price of beauty. Her dress, a vermilion masterpiece of layered silk and seed pearls, draped finely against her body, and Hinamori had been too enamored with the thing to pass it up.

"That's wonderful news," she said, and her maid smiled in return. The carriage they were riding rocked and Hinamori watched her family's crest waver in the breeze. "Princess Unohana will make the finest of brides." Of course, no one had received any news of the groom, but such a lavish wedding obviously signified King Yamamoto's approval.

From the adjacent seat, her maid shifted warily. "Your father also requested you keep an eye open today for prospective husbands."

This time, Hinamori did laugh, corset or no. It made her chest feel horribly constricted and she coughed afterwards, but it was worth it. "And you can tell my father I will do as he says, but I doubt any man would want a woman as plain as me."

Her maid looked like she wanted to respond; her mouth opened slightly, but then the carriage ground to a halt and she revised her statement. "I disagree, Lady Hinamori, and I'd even wager today will be the day you see for yourself." Then she opened the carriage door and Hinamori stepped forward, a polite smile already painted on her face.

As per tradition, Hinamori watched her parents, the Lord and Lady Hinamori, as they ascended the grand staircase that led inside the royal palace and waited for their names to be announced. Rightfully she should have gone with them; however, being both shy and dateless, Hinamori had opted to sneak through a quieter entrance into the ballroom. Her footsteps tapped against the marble floor as a solitary soldier opened the door for her to enter; suddenly, her gaze was assaulted by a large swath of pink.

"Momo! It took you long enough to get here!" The pink fluff said, and Hinamori gently pried it off of her.

"Nice to see you too, Rangiku." She demurred, and Rangiku laughed. The other woman, decked out in pink, bows, and long strings of pearls, grabbed her white gloved hand with one of her own. "I knew you'd use that entrance, Momo. You really should have come in the staircase, I swear, half the room turned to look at me."

Hinamori didn't argue. Rangiku was a goddess of a woman, with a fiery attitude to match. "I think I'd prefer the quieter entrance; I'm not one for attention."

Rangiku clucked her tongue, and placed a free hand on her hips. "Now what kind of attitude is that? How are you ever going to find a husband?" She paused for a second and moved her hand from her hip to her mouth in one mischievous stroke. "Oh, but I forgot, Toshiro would probably marry you even if you never attended any dances at all and walked around wearing a potato sack." Hinamori turned a shade of red darker than her dress. Rangiku, never one for subtlety, chuckled at her expense.

"I'm sorry, Lady Matsumoto, would you care to repeat that?" A voice cut through her laughter, and both women immediately spun around to face it.

"I don't know, Lord Hitsugaya, I think you heard it perfectly well." Rangiku smirked, and the look on Hitsugaya's face darkened. Hinamori managed a sweet smile as he turned his attention to her. He reached in her direction, the look in his eyes softening.

"Lady Hinamori," Hitsugaya said, and his hand slid up the crook of her arm, "Would you care to dance?" Hinamori nodded eagerly, and he swept her away from Rangiku before either could see her smirk widen. With a gentle nudge of his hand, Hitsugaya guided her away from the noise and lights until they reached a darker, quieter corner of the room.

Hitsugaya placed one hand on her waist and took one of her hands with another. "Well, Hinamori, it's certainly been a while."

Hinamori lifted a corner of her mouth and placed a hand on his shoulder. "My apologies, Toshiro, I was ill when your father hosted a ball five weeks ago." She paused, and he twirled her in a full circle that sent her dress spinning around their legs. "I didn't know you missed you."

"Now I don't recall saying that." Hitsugaya quipped, and dipped her low so she had to clutch onto him firmly for support. He exhaled, and Hinamori felt his breathe roll over her neck so intimately her cheeks flushed. "I'd even say you were the one missing me."

Hinamori shrugged, or as best as she could while dancing with him. Hopefully, the ambient lighting had disguised her blush from both Hitsugaya and any prying eyes. "Well, at least I don't deny it." Her voice wavered slightly while saying that and not even the festive music could cover it. "Besides, Toshiro, shouldn't you be paying respects to the newlyweds?"

Hitsugaya snorted, and it reminded Hinamori strongly of the fact she hadn't yet seen Princess Unohana or her husband. Her curiosity piqued. "The couple is so enamored of each it would break their hearts to merely interrupt their conversation." Hitsugaya never had a strong sense of respect for authority, royalty or otherwise. He bit the corners of his mouth in the beginnings of a snarl. "And please, Hinamori, let's not talk about marriage right now."

Hinamori grinned broadly and his grip on her waist relaxed. "Not talk of marriage at a wedding? Something must really have you riled up. Has your father been pushing you to take a wife?"

He didn't answer. Hinamori knew the feeling, as she got the same from her own father, and leaned into him reassuringly. "I'm sure you'll find the right girl soon enough, Toshiro. In fact," Hinamori gazed about and caught the glances of both her father and his, "Shouldn't you be dancing with a possible future wife right now instead of wasting your time with me?" She ignored the way her voice almost wavered when she said so.

Hitsugaya's grip tightened on her waist again and she jerked her head up to met his eyes. Something was dancing there, and Hinamori dropped her eyes to avoid it. Why was he amused with her? Had she said something embarrassing? Hinamori glanced back at her father again and didn't like the way his eyes sparkled with the same thing.

"Toshiro? Did I say something?" Hinamori whispered nervously, and leaned closer so their upper bodies were touching gently. Her fingers clutched tighter to the fabric of his shoulder, and he dropped the hand that was holding hers slowly. Hinamori frowned as his lips quirked up into a smirk. What could possibly be so funny?

"Really, Momo, sometimes you can be so stupid."

Then with a deft turn of his fingers a weight settled on her hand, and Hinamori gasped at the gold band sparkling on her ring finger.

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A/N: Apologizes if the ending seemed somewhat rushed. This author finds that this one-shot doesn't really agree with her.


	4. Bait and Switch

Disclaimer: Bleach is the property of Tite Kubo.

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The plastic fishing lure bobbed rhythmically, swaying up and down with the beat of the tide. It was calming, the smooth tempo of a gurgling river, echoed in the push and pull of his lax fishing wire. The bright sun beat down on him, offset just so slightly by the weaving early autumn winds, and the bright beams of light glittered happily off the water.

In fact, it was such an enjoyable day Hitsugaya might have even decided to like fishing, had Matsumoto not been so damn late.

It had begun three days ago when his secretary, Matsumoto, had barged into his office, surprisingly on time for once. Hitsugaya had snarled at her to get out but Matsumoto, unsurprisingly, had ignored him and hefted a large load of fishing supplies out of nowhere. She had dumped it onto his desk (coincidently pushing the paperwork that was marked with her name out the open window) and practically demanded he go fishing with her three days later. Then, in a flurry of blonde hair and what smelled suspiciously like freshly opened sake, she had fled from his office and left Hitsugaya to groan to himself. The choice afterwards had been obvious: appease Matsumoto and go fishing with her, or deal with a weeks worth of snickers as people tripped over fishing rods in his office.

But now it was half an hour after she said they should meet and Hitsugaya was angry. Fifteen minutes ago he had cast a line out of sheer boredom, but nothing had bit and it only further aggravated him.

"Rangiku-san! Rangiku-san?" A voice called, and Hitsugaya immediately swerved to face it. Seconds too late he realized it was a stupid thing to do. Why would Matsumoto be calling her own name? The approaching figure looked nothing like his secretary either, shorter, slimmer, and with darker hair.

"Rangiku-san, I'm so sorry I'm late, my boss had me running errands all morning and I was at the copier for hours…" The voice trailed off as she spotted a stock of white hair that most definitely did not belong to Rangiku, accompanied by impatient turquoise eyes and a dead pan expression. This person was not Rangiku, nor a particularly welcome sight to her weary eyes. "Oh, Hitsugaya-kun…"

"Hinamori." Hitsugaya nodded once, and clutched tighter to his fishing rod. What was she doing here? It had been weeks since the two had a proper conversation. The dark circles under her eyes indicated she hadn't heeded the biting advice he had given her then either.

"I, um, Rangiku-san said we were going fishing here today at noon and, I…" Hinamori bit her lip and hesitated. "So I guess she invited you too?"

Hitsugaya took the way she said that to imply she hadn't known, and wasn't especially pleased about it either. Would she, he wondered, have turned Matsumoto down if she knew he was going to be there? Probably. Hitsugaya had been walking on eggshells around her, and Hinamori had acted the same. They'd been doing that for a long time. With a twist of his wrist Hitsugaya roughly shoved a fishing road in her direction. Hinamori took it, slowly, unsurely, and flinched when her hand touched the cool metal like she had been burned. Then she sat down, a considerable distance away from him, and cast her line next to his.

For three years, both of them had been ignoring each other, dancing circles around their prickly past. They had been friends, once. Best friends back from elementary school that had somehow stayed together through middle school, high school, and college. They had even been hired into the Gotei 13, a banking company, together. Then board member Aizen had picked up Hinamori as his secretary and things began changing. They spent less time talking, visiting, and saw each other less even when Hitsugaya had joined the board as leader of Division Ten.

Their estrangement, and the dissipation of their friendship, climaxed two years when Aizen had quit the Gotei 13. He had taken with him fellow board members Tousen and Ichimaru, as well as a sizeable chunk of information and profits. Hinamori had been devastated, even more so when she discovered a well-laid file on her superiors computer accusing Hitsugaya of blackmailing the three into doing it. She had thrown accusations, lawsuits, and tears at him, and the two had never been the same since.

The legal battle with Aizen had lasted months. In the end, he had been arrested, convicted, and tossed in prison, but the damage had already been done, and Hitsugaya was too proud to seek Hinamori out on his own.

"Something tells me Matsumoto isn't coming," Hitsugaya said, and broke the awkward silence that had fallen between them. It reminded him of many years ago, when the two of them used to lie side by side for hours, and such a thing had never developed. Hinamori curled her shoulders in, "I hope she's okay."

Hitsugaya inwardly snorted, of course she was okay. Matsumoto was probably drinking sake with her buddies and gloating about how she had set up her boss and his childhood friend. Probably neglecting to mention the best thing she could think of was fishing, too. He made a mental note to assign her more paperwork and ignored the part of his mind that strangely enjoyed sitting next to his former best friend and fishing with her.

"She isn't going to show up. So you can leave, you know." Hitsugaya said, the words coming out sharper than he intended. Seeing her recoil, he tried to soften his tone. "Kurosaki probably has more errands he needs you to run."

Hinamori nodded and her grip on her fishing road relaxed. There was a momentary pause while she searched for something to say. "That's alright, Hitsugaya-kun…I like spending time with you."

Both of them were equally surprised when she said as much, but Hitsugaya didn't bother to complain so Hinamori didn't withdraw her statement. It hung heavily in the air, weighing on the pair like a stifling blanket. In the end, it was Hinamori who broke the silence again, her voice coming out a croaking whisper.

"I-I haven't been fishing in a while…I think I forgot how calming it was."

Hitsugaya didn't bother to point out that neither of them was the least bit calm and nodded listlessly. If she was going to put in an effort to be polite, the least he could do was attempt the same.

"Yeah. The last time I went fishing was five years ago." _With you, _Hitsugaya left unspoken, _when we went to that lake together and only caught one, tiny fish because you pushed me in the water and scared them all away._

"Oh," Hinamori replied, shame coloring her cheeks. Hitsugaya cursed inwardly, out of all the possible responses, he had picked the worst one. He viciously reeled in his line and recast it a suitable distance away from Hinamori's. She noticed, and reeled her line in as well, the wire entwined lightly between her fingertips, and cast it in the direction Hitsugaya had turned too. "That was…fun."

She flinched when Hitsugaya nearly snapped his fishing rod in two. But when he spoke, his voice was surprisingly light-hearted, at odds with the barely constrained look on his face. "It might have been for you, but from inside the lake things felt a little different for me."

And with a simple sentence, the tension deflated, in its wake a smiling Hinamori, a small but genuine grin blooming on her face. The unease the hung over them like a blanket was dissolving; slowly, but surely, Hinamori's grin widened and widened until it nearly stretched from ear to ear. Hitsugaya nearly doubled over, he had no idea what he had said, or what effect it had on her, but Hinamori was obviously happy and he wasn't going to mess with that.

"In fact," Hitsugaya continued, a smirk painted on his face, "I probably should have pulled you in with me."

Then wonder of wonders, Hinamori laughed. Lay back on her back and giggled, over and over, and it had been along time since either had heard the sound. The smile on her face was neither the crazed one she had given for days after Aizen's betrayal nor the polite, detached one that had followed for years after that¾it was a real smile, that crinkled the corner of her eyes and flashed her teeth.

Hitsugaya couldn't fathom what he had said that suddenly made things right, normal, between the two of them, but it was working. There were suddenly no more awkward silences and pregnant pauses; she was laughing, smiling, and he felt a warm smirk make its way to his face. It wasn't gone completely, Hitsugaya knew better than that, but for this moment both had acknowledged they had been best friends once, before Aizen and the lawsuits that followed.

There was a sudden tug on his fishing rod. Hinamori sat up as quickly as a bullet, a delightful sparkle in her eye and eagerness in her voice. "Quick, Shiro-chan! Before the fish gets away!"

She had even used the old nickname. He didn't complain, just admired the sweet soprano of her voice, and slowly grabbed his rod. Neither of them noticed the light tugs on Hinamori's fishing pole, both too busy watching Hitsugaya's. He pulled, and with slow, smooth movements, began to drag in the fishing wire.

And then, when he finally reeled his hook above the water, they found it entangled with Hinamori's, entwined by the gently tiding river. Hitsugaya smiled; it was a sign that things were changing for the better.

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A/N: =/ Meh. On a side note, thank you, reviewers, your words of encouragement really mean a lot to me! 3


	5. The Way of the Sword

Disclaimer: Bleach is the property of Tite Kubo.

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"So remember what Ken-chan told you, everyone!" Yachiru declared, and shot the five kendo team members a bright smile. Toshiro glanced around at the other four; Shuhei looked bored enough, but Ikkaku and Renji were sporting identical sullen expressions. Ichigo snorted, "Would that be '_get practicing, weaklings' _or '_if you don't win, I'll kill you_'?" The comment drew a pout out of their pink-haired sempai and a smirk from Renji. "That wasn't very nice, Icchi," she whined, and scampered away from them with a quick turn of her feet back to their sensei, Kenpachi Zaraki.

"But it's the truth." Renji drawled lazily, and Toshiro couldn't help but agree.

At the very least, he would admit Zaraki was a good kendo instructor. Toshiro admired his sensei for both his astonishing kendo skills and sheer force of will, and it these traits that brought the team to where they were today: the national kendo championship. Unfortunately, his respect ended there. Zaraki was both a world-class asshole and blood-lusting maniac, and there wasn't a single person on the kendo team who would disagree with that (other than Kusajishi-sempai, but nobody was really sure if the little girl was sane herself, after spending so much time with Kenpachi).

Toshiro dared a glance towards the man in question. Yachiru, perched on Zaraki's shoulder, was chattering a mile-a-minute and his sensei seemed somewhat amused; then he caught Toshiro's furtive look and shot him a perfunctory glare. Undeterred, Toshiro let his gaze drift away naturally.

The crowd was unusually large by Toshiro's standards, but it was a championship match and that was only to be expected. Both his grandmother and Rangiku were in the front row; he looked away before either of them noticed him. A couple people dressed in the opposing team's colors separated the pair from Jushiro Ukitake, the team manager, and Shunsui Kyoraku, the art teacher, who were conversing amiably. Toshiro ignored them and glanced further into the crowd but spotted neither the tell-tale sunbeam smile or familiar teal haircloth. _Where was she…? _

Then a commotion in front of him drew Toshiro's attention away.

"Attention!" The referee was bellowing, and raised two flags: one white and one red, the scarlet shade matching Toshiro's own uniform. After a frazzled second the area fell silent, and he continued loudly. "The national championship between Seireitei First High School and Las Noches Preparatory Academy will now begin! First match participants Zommari Leroux and Shuhei Hisagi, please step forward."

From his direct right, Shuhei rose and stepped forward, _shinai_ thrown over his shoulder. His opponent, Leroux, was a big, sturdy guy, and Toshiro immediately lost interest. From personal experience, the big guys (with the exception of Kenpachi, but the general consensus was that everything was the exception with Kenpachi) threw their weight around the most, and relied the least on good swordsmanship. He hadn't the least doubt Shuhei would walk away with a victory.

Momo, though, was another story. Where was she? The matches had already started, and she was nowhere to be found. She had promised to show up…

Toshiro growled. Beside him Ikkaku and Ichigo whooped as Shuhei scored the first point but he didn't pay attention, and kept his gaze trained on the door.

Momo Hinamori, also known as Toshiro's best friend, was the sweetest person you could ever hope to meet, as well as a great friend. When she found out Toshiro had not only secured a starting position in the kendo team but that they were headed to the nationals as well, she had squealed loud enough that it could be heard three classrooms over. Elated, she had promised him she would watch his match; Toshiro had agreed grudgingly, not that anything as trivial as his permission would have stopped her. But now it was almost time, and she still hadn't shown up.

Toshiro suppressed the desire to bit his lip in worry and looked towards the current match long enough to watch the opposing team land a point on Shuhei. Renji booed loudly (idly, Toshiro wondered if they were going to get penalized for that) and guys from Las Noches jeered.

Then suddenly, a little sliver of natural light lit up the wooden floors and a gust of cold, wintry air blew inside the building, and Toshiro relaxed. _It took you long enough. _He directed his attention back towards Leroux and Shuhei, and faked enrapture in the match unfolding in front of them. Warm arms unexpectedly (or so she would think) wrapped around his neck and Toshiro looked down to see pale hands clasped in front of him.

"Oh, Shiro-chan, I'm so sorry! The traffic was horrible and my clock was wrong, but I guess that's a horrible excuse so I'm still so sorry! It was really bad of me to get here late like this when this match is so important to you and I'm so happy I didn't miss it!" Momo babbled into his ear and Toshiro smirked. She had a tendency to ramble when nervous.  
"Just make sure it doesn't make sure it doesn't happen again," he nodded matter-of-factly, "Bed-wetter Momo."

She puffed up her cold-stained pink cheeks. "Do you really have to call me that? I almost crashed twice hurrying here." A fine white eyebrow raised and he shrugged her off, then twisted around to face her.

"What?" He growled, and she blushed guilty. "All the more reason for me to call you that, stupid. Don't put yourself in needless danger like that, especially for a kendo match. What do you think would've happened if you did crash?"

"Don't lecture me, Toshiro. Nothing happened, and I'm fine. See?" Momo gestured to her healthy body and Toshiro snorted in disbelief. He opened his mouth to say something, most likely chastising, but she anticipated that and beat him to it. "And I don't need you to tell me to be careful, either."

Toshiro let out a long-suffering sigh and Momo stuck her tongue out at him. "Besides, today is about you. Technically, I'm not even supposed to be here," she smiled sheepishly, "But I just came here to say good luck."

Suddenly, she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his _keikogi_. A muffled, "Good luck!", sounded from his shoulder before she shifted away from him again and grinned. Toshiro gave her a tiny lift of the corner of his mouth in response; then her grin turned impish and she cocked her head at him.

"Be sure to win your match for me, okay, Shiro-chan?" Momo giggled, and scurried away with a wave over her shoulder without waiting for his response. Toshiro watched her go with a half-smile on his face, his gaze unwavering from her back until she had vanished into the crowd.

A slight scuffling drew his attention to his left and his remaining three team members. All of them were watching him with identical smirks on their faces. The smile immediately slid off his face. Renji snickered, and Ichigo elbowed him in an attempt to be respectful, though he didn't seem to be putting his heart into it. Ikkaku leered at him, and Toshiro shifted away wearily. "Girlfriend?" Ikkaku offered, and Toshiro glared icily at the three of them. It only encouraged the snickering.

No, she wasn't his girlfriend, Toshiro mused, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to win for her anyway.

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A/N: Please excuse this author's possible misuse of kendo terms. Wikipedia can, unfortunately, only get you so far. :)

I regret to inform you that this is the last installation of _Jar of Mirrors_! This author has another few projects planned, and hopes to start on those soon. Reviewers, once again, your words are appreciated, loved, and memorized by heart so I can brag about them to all my friends. =D Thank you!


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